There is an ever-increasing demand for performing vision-based sensing in heavy duty industries. In these environments, a transparent cover or optical window is typically employed to protect the vision-based sensor during use. In order to maintain reliable performance, it is important that the outer surface of the optical window remain clean and free of dirt, debris or other contamination. Unfortunately, their employment in dirty environments, such as oil, material handling, mining, construction and forestry industries, make them susceptible to contamination and fouling thereby. In some instances, the contamination can, for example, cause a deterioration of performance over time due to dirt and smudge accumulating on the optical window. The situation is worsened when the dirty environment is coupled with an installation location which is hard to reach or doing so would require shutting down the operation.